1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices to prevent water from collecting in the valley of a slanted roof and more particularly to a tile roof valley guard which will inhibit the collection of debris in the roof valley.
The way a tile roof is constructed, the valley which interconnects adjoining angled roof sections of a slanted roof does not have a layer of tile over the tar paper sub roof. According to Bob Hightower Senior, "who has spent 41 years in the roofing industry and is chairman of the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board's roofing committee" in Pinellas County, Fla., "leaks occur because the sub roof dries out and cracks with age--leaks are most likely to occur in valleys where standing water accelerates rotting" (quoted from the St. Petersburg, Times, Nov. 9, 1995 issue at page 2D). Standing water occurs in the roof valleys when debris accumulates in the valley and forms a dam behind which standing rain water accumulates and once there is a slight opening in the sub roof of the valley, a leak occurs.
Repair of the roof and replacement of the valley must be done to remedy the situation. However, prevention of the dam forming debris from accumulating will inhibit collection of standing water.
To prevent such an accumulation, an obvious solution is to repeatedly clean the valley to remove debris and thereby prevent formation of a dam. This is the prior art method of cleaning valleys. An unobvious yet more practical solution is to provide a device which prevents debris from entering the valley so that it cannot accumulate and form a dam.